Atlanta Dream Announces New Home Court at Gateway Center in College Park
Dream will move to brand new arena in Metro Atlanta’s Southside

ATLANTA – The WNBA’s Atlanta Dream announced it will play its 2020 home games at Gateway Center Arena @ College Park. After playing at State Farm Arena in downtown last season, the Dream will move to its new home in Metro Atlanta’s Southside for its 13^th season, and the 10^th season for owners Mary Brock and Kelly Loeffler.

“The Atlanta Dream seeks to represent the best of Atlanta, from a diverse community to warm hospitality to the sports and entertainment leadership our city is increasingly known for,” Brock and Loeffler said. “When we learned we needed to find a new homecourt, we turned challenge into opportunity, and are thrilled to showcase the Atlanta Dream in College Park @ Gateway Center where the growth of the city is evident. We’re excited to offer our fans a professional basketball experience in a state-of-the-art setting.”

 Gateway Center Arena, a new 100,000-square-foot arena, is set to open on Friday, October 26, with first events scheduled for November. The arena will seat 3,500 and expandable up to 5,000 for concerts. The venue, operated by the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC), will also host the College Park Skyhawks, the Atlanta Hawk’s G-League team, as well as concerts, conventions and more.

“We are fortunate to have great support in Atlanta and a new venue that wants to be our partner,” Dream President and General Manager Chris Sienko said. “Designed to create a professional sports experience for players, fans and sponsors, it will offer a unique and intimate experience for our fans and establish an amazing home-court experience that the athletes will feel on the floor. This will all be supported by modern amenities to build an engaging and exciting community experience for our fans.”

 “This partnership with the Dream confirms our validity as a major economic influencer for the Atlanta Metropolitan Area,” GICC Executive Director Mercedes Miller said.  “I salute the Atlanta Dream for the foresight to recognize the value of this new relationship.  This is a historical moment for the City of College Park and a dream come true for me! We are looking forward to the Dream’s loyal fans making the Gateway Arena @ College Park their new home.”

Designed with the spectator in mind, the facility’s unique layout allows for 360-degree views from any seat, complemented by an exclusive food and beverage partnership with CulinAero by Proof of the Pudding. The award-winning culinary team aims to create a dining experience that is more than just “concession food” with four concourse-level concession stands including Southern Fried, The Hangar, Post Oak BBQ and Tri-Cities Pizza. Select beer and wines will be available at each concession stand, as well as full bar selections at portable bar locations throughout the concourse.

The Gateway Center will comprise the arena, the GICC, four full-service hotels and a number of dining options. Fans will be greeted with ample parking right outside the arena doors and free Wi-Fi throughout the arena.

Located minutes from downtown Atlanta and a quarter mile from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Gateway Center Arena will be easily accessible via the free ATL SkyTrain, the highway or MARTA. The ATL SkyTrain travels just 2 minutes along a 1.6-mile elevated guideway from the airport terminal to the Gateway Center and GICC.

The Atlanta Dream will tip-off their 13^th season in the WNBA in May 2020. Atlanta holds the No. 4 pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft. The organization, which will play its home games at the Gateway Center Arena at College Park, has qualified for the WNBA Playoffs in nine of its first 12 seasons.  The Dream will begin taking deposits for the 2020 season on Wednesday, October 23 at 10 a.m., with early purchase discounts and a free hat with each ticket purchased.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gateway Center Arena @ College Park Names Arena Manager
Yanous Barner will manage forthcoming Arena, slated for fall 2019 debut

College Park, GA (June 28, 2019) – Yanous Barner, Operations Superintendent for the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) for more than 16 years, has officially been named Arena Manager for The Gateway Center Arena @ College Park, set to open its doors this fall as home the College Park SkyHawks – the Atlanta Hawks G-league basketball team. With a 30-year career in the hospitality industry, Barner has spent 22 years of those years working in hotel food and beverage, holding positions as food and beverage director, assistant banquet manager, convention service manager, restaurant manager, room service manager and sales support.

Active in the community, he has served as a board member with Atlanta Technical College Hospitality Board advocating for the continued growth of adult education. He is currently an active board member of the Old National Merchant Association, the Camp Creek Business Association and the Cascade Business Association, committed to creating and maintaining sustainable businesses for the Southside community as a whole. Barner is also a member of International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM).

As Arena manager, Barner will direct and schedule all operational aspects, including engineering, technical services, security, maintenance, custodial and contracted services. He will be responsible for the capital budget, the implementation of the business blueprint, personnel, sales and marketing goals, risk management and compliance, as well as attendance and revenue projections.

Earlier this month, the Arena announced its partnership with The Fox Theatre as the venue’s exclusive booking, marketing and consulting partner.

“Yanous is an astute hospitality professional. When it was confirmed that College Park would be building the new Arena, I set my sights on Mr. Barner as he totally grasps our concept here,” explains executive director of the GICC, Mercedes Miller. “He has great rapport with not only our clients, but also with staff.  He was the natural choice to step in and manage the new facility.”

About the Georgia International Convention Center

The Georgia International Convention Center is the second largest convention center in Georgia, uniquely positioned to offer its guests and clients unprecedented convenience for conferences, expositions, convocations and more. Directly connected to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport via the ATL SkyTrain, the GICC is the world’s only convention center with such access, set alongside three hotels, class-A office space, the BMW Training Center and the forthcoming Gateway Center Arena @ College Park, set to open in fall 2019. The GICC is located at 2000 Convention Center Concourse, College Park, GA 30337. For more information, please visit www.gicc.com.

 

About College Park:

Encompassing 11.1 square miles, College Park is home to the world headquarters of Chick-fil-A, the most traveled airport worldwide in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, and has the largest and one of the most prestigious K-12 private schools in the continental United States – Woodward Academy. College Park has one of Georgia’s most vibrant historical communities, while the city moves boldly ahead in new technologies and alternative fuel and energy platforms.  College Park’s progressive mission focuses on economic development, hospitality and entertainment. The city-operated Georgia International Convention Center boasts the largest ballroom in the state of Georgia, and a new multipurpose arena to be built next door is slated to open this fall as the home court for the Atlanta Hawks’ Developmental League team, the College Park SkyHawks.

 

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MEDIA CONTACT
Julia Dorio / Bianca Beran
Phase 3 Marketing and Communications
Julia.Dorio@phase3mc.com / Bianca.Beran@phase3mc.com
404.367.9898

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gateway Center Arena @ College Park Slated to Open in October
South Atlanta’s newest state-of-the-art, multipurpose venue to debut quality entertainment and events this fall

College Park, Ga. (Monday, September 16, 2019) – The highly anticipated Gateway Center Arena @ College Park is set to officially open its doors this fall – Friday, October 26 – with its first events scheduled for early November. Operated by the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) in partnership with The Fox Theatre, the multipurpose sports and entertainment venue will serve as the home to the College Park Skyhawks, the official NBA G League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, and hold 5,000 seats for live events, concerts, graduations, conventions and more.

Located next door to the city-operated Georgia International Convention Center and minutes from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the 100,000 square foot entertainment destination is poised to become the premier event facility on the city’s southside. The venue, which will bring an estimated 600 jobs to College Park and surrounding areas, is complemented by easy access to MARTA, surrounding hotels, curated dining experiences, neighboring attractions including the Delta Flight Museum, the Porsche Driving Experience, and more.

“The Gateway Center Arena establishes the City of College Park as not only a unique entertainment destination within Atlanta, but also as a leader in the city’s economic development,” says Mercedes Miller, Executive Director at the GICC and Gateway Center Arena @ College Park. “Especially with our partnership with The Fox Theatre, we now have a venue hosting sought-after events that is easily accessible for those who live and work in south Atlanta, and even further beyond the city.”

Designed with the spectator in mind, the facility’s unique layout allows for 360-degree views from any seat, complemented by an exclusive food and beverage partnership with CulinAero by Proof of the Pudding. The award-winning culinary team aims to create a dining experience that is more than just “concession food” with four concourse-level concession stands including Southern Fried, The Hangar, Post Oak BBQ and Tri-Cities Pizza. Select beer and wines will be available at each concession stand, as well as full bar selections at portable bar locations throughout the concourse.

With construction nearing completion, Gateway Center Arena looks ahead to an exciting inaugural line-up of events this fall. One of the first public events taking place in the new Arena will be FanFest, a family friendly event on Saturday, November 9, from noon to 4 p.m. Details on the event will be released soon, followed by the first events announced by the Skyhawks and exclusive booking partner the Fox Theatre, respectively: the Skyhawks home opener on Thursday, November 21, followed by the #TBTour with Immature on Saturday, November 23, tickets on sale now here.

Last month, the Skyhawks released season ticket membership sales, which will give ticket holders priority access to all 24 regular season home games between November and March, and special members-only benefits and privileges. The full Skyhawks schedule and individual ticket sales are now available, as well. For more information and updates about the team and season tickets, click here.

In addition to serving as the home to the Skyhawks, Gateway Center Arena is also partnering with the Fox Theatre to bring a variety of other sports and entertainment events to the multipurpose venue, including concerts, comedy performances, family shows, lifestyle events, and amateur and professional sporting events. Under this multi-year agreement, the Fox Theatre will consult in several key business areas, including accounting, programming, marketing, digital media, production and general facility management. Live event updates can be viewed here.

Gateway Center Arena is located at 2330 Convention Center Concourse, College Park, GA 30337. For more information and updates, go to www.arenagatewaycenter.com, or visit the Arena on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Gateway Center Arena @ College Park:

Home to the College Park SkyHawks, the official NBA G League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, Gateway Center Arena @ College Park will open its doors in fall 2019 as a multipurpose sports and entertainment venue. Operated by the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) in partnership with The Fox Theatre, the Arena will hold 5,000 seats for live events, concerts, graduations, conventions and more. For more information, visit www.arenagatewaycenter.com.

 

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MEDIA CONTACT
Caroline Haye / Bianca Beran
Phase 3 Marketing and Communications
gateway@phase3mc.com
404.367.9898